Chokeberry: description of black chokeberry

Content:

The article presents chokeberry: a description of the medicinal chokeberry. The berries of this small tree or shrub are rich in a variety of vitamins and elements. The blackberry is similar to some varieties of red rowan in terms of its distinctive characteristics and medicinal properties. Both species are members of the Pink family.
Small bushes of black chokeberry with numerous plexuses of black berries and large light green rounded leaves can sometimes be confused with black currant bushes.
The homeland of this culture is North America, the preferred growing places are lake and river banks. On this continent far from us, you can find up to 20 types of chokeberry. Interestingly, until the 19th century, Europeans cultivated it only as an ornamental plant, thanks to its beautiful spring flowering, until Michurin determined the possibility of breeding chokeberry for medicinal purposes. Since then, it has been grown in almost every country in the world.

Black chokeberry: description of varieties (species)

Chokeberry bushes (chokeberry) are loved and appreciated for the healing properties of berries. They are saturated with a complex of various vitamins and elements. The blackberry is similar to some varieties of Red Rowan in terms of the distinctive characteristics of the variety and the healing properties. Both species are members of the Pink family.
Low thickets of blackberry with numerous plexuses of black berries and large round leaves are sometimes confused with black currant bushes.
Of the varieties of chokeberry, several are known:
- / Viking /, tall species (more than 2 meters), high-yielding and resistant to cold, berries are harvested before the end of autumn;
- / Nero /, bushes of standard growth with early ripening of fruits, resistant to cold, juices are made from the berries of this variety, thanks to their juiciness and aroma;
- / Black-eyed /, the species is resistant to cold and with good immunity against various diseases and harmful insects; feature - in the least astringency in comparison with other varieties.

Chokeberry: a description of the history of the bush

The homeland of this culture is North America, the preferred growing places are lake and river banks. On this continent far from us, you can find up to 20 types of chokeberry. Interestingly, until the 19th century, Europeans cultivated it only as an ornamental plant, thanks to its beautiful spring flowering, until Michurin determined the possibility of breeding chokeberry for medicinal purposes. Since then, it has been grown in almost every country in the world.

Rowan chokeberry: medicinal properties, vitamins

As mentioned above, Chokeberry has in its arsenal a whole range of medicinal properties, mainly due to the content of vitamins:
- increases hyaluron in tissues;
- regulates sugar and cholesterol in the circulatory system;
- strengthens the walls of blood vessels, reduces capillary permeability;
- strengthens the immune system;
- has a diuretic effect;
- improves the functioning of the digestive tract;
- works positively on eye functions;
- lowers blood pressure.
Blackberry contains vitamins gr.B (B1, B2, B6, B9), A, C, E, PP, beta-carotene.
Due to the content of many chemical elements in its composition (Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Iron, Sodium), the chokeberry is recognized by medical professionals as a useful food product for constant use.

How is chokeberry (chokeberry) grown

Even a beginner in gardening can grow chokeberry, since it is unpretentious and not so demanding. Choose a sunny place for chokeberry. When planting, keep a large enough distance between the bushes. Aronia is a fairly frost-resistant plant that loves light fertile soil (groundwater should be at least 2 meters from the surface).
Remember that the black chokeberry is moisture-loving, but in moderation, since it does not tolerate an excess of water.
Chokeberry bushes are planted in September or in spring, using seedlings of different ages. In this case, there will be bountiful harvests.
Do not forget about regular feeding, weeding and timely pruning of chokeberry (it is important to remove dead branches).

How to Fertilize Aronia for Great Yields

For the black chokeberry, as well as for other plants, it is important to obtain a sufficient amount of organic and mineral compounds. In this case, she will delight you with a wonderful harvest of her medicinal berries.
Caring for her is impossible without:
- nitrogen fertilizers (applied in spring at the initial stage of growth);
- organics (manure + compost or humus is added to the soil to saturate the soil with nutritious compounds);
- fertilizers with phosphorus and potassium (they are applied in the fall, after harvesting, and then the soil will receive the microelements given to the tree during growth and fruiting).

How to properly plant a blackberry

The conditions for this are quite simple:
- allocation of a sunny place;
- preparation of moist acidic soil;
- choice for planting quality seedlings;
- plant seedlings 2 meters or more from each other.
Planting steps are as follows: after digging a hole and adding compost, manure (or wood ash) to it, put chokeberry there and dig in. That's all! Further, it will not give you any problems, since it takes root quite easily.

Rowan chokeberry: a description of the secrets of care

The blackberry is not picky and will not cause much trouble to the owner. But some secrets for the care of this crop in spring, summer and autumn are still present.
In the spring. Chokeberry bushes wake up together with all nature. To strengthen and further develop the plant, it is worth carrying out sanitary and formative pruning. In order to avoid destruction of the trunk by pests, its surface is covered with a layer of lime. In order to avoid infection with various kinds of bacteria, the bushes are treated with special prophylactic agents.
Regular weeding in the spring is simply indispensable. And how else can you get rid of annoying, rapidly growing weeds.
The last point of spring care is to regularly feed the plant with nitrogen fertilizers for better development and growth.
Summer. The plant should be examined regularly and its health should be monitored. As soon as you see a lot of some kind of insects or signs of illness, immediately take action before the plant dies. If it's a dry summer, regular watering is required.
In the autumn. In the autumn, chokeberry seedlings are usually planted in open ground. If necessary, sanitary pruning of adult bushes is carried out and treated with prophylactic agents.

Harvest: how to harvest and preserve

Harvesting is particularly satisfying and costly. Bunches of chokeberry berries ripen at the same time and practically do not fall to the ground. True, there is a danger of drying out in the sun, so there is no need to bring it to such a state.Allocate your time according to your possibilities in order to harvest the entire crop in one go or in several approaches.
You can store the crop frozen or dried. Also, chokeberry is used to make excellent liqueurs, compotes, wines, jams and other sweets. Your blanks will not only be fabulously tasty, but also healthy.

About the reproduction of culture

Chokeberry propagates by seed or generative method. Of these, division through green cuttings, layering, root suckers, as well as by dividing the bushes or by grafting, is mainly common. Each option has its own peculiarities. The most popular is the division with green cuttings. The option of dividing by seeds is more labor-intensive, therefore it is used very rarely.

Black chokeberry: description